I've been flying my RV10 for a year now. But I started IFR training two years ago in a 172 and decided to stop after about 30 hours so I could finish the RV10 and complete training in my own airplane. I got my first experience under the hood this morning.
We climbed up over a broken layer and I had the strangest experience. As I got started with the foggles on, for a good 10 minutes I was having an almost uncontrollable desire to turn left. I would notice (often with a reminder from the CFII) that I was in a turn, I would correct it, and then sure enough I'd be in a 20 degree left bank within a minute.
Eventually I realized I was seeing clouds go by out of the lower corner of the foggles which was giving me the sensation I was in a right turn - just by the way they went by. I didn't even realize I was seeing them. This never happened during training in the 172. It was just the strangest thing to be concentrating on the instruments and still end up in a turn based on subtle, almost subliminal visual queues of motion around me.
Once I realized what was happening I was able to do it right. But what a realization of just how easily and disorienting it can be when senses lie. It was, in the end, a good experience in forcing myself to ignore everything but the instruments. You know you're supposed to do that but actually doing it, it would appear, is another story.
... It was a fun time and I just thought I'd share.
We climbed up over a broken layer and I had the strangest experience. As I got started with the foggles on, for a good 10 minutes I was having an almost uncontrollable desire to turn left. I would notice (often with a reminder from the CFII) that I was in a turn, I would correct it, and then sure enough I'd be in a 20 degree left bank within a minute.
Eventually I realized I was seeing clouds go by out of the lower corner of the foggles which was giving me the sensation I was in a right turn - just by the way they went by. I didn't even realize I was seeing them. This never happened during training in the 172. It was just the strangest thing to be concentrating on the instruments and still end up in a turn based on subtle, almost subliminal visual queues of motion around me.
Once I realized what was happening I was able to do it right. But what a realization of just how easily and disorienting it can be when senses lie. It was, in the end, a good experience in forcing myself to ignore everything but the instruments. You know you're supposed to do that but actually doing it, it would appear, is another story.
... It was a fun time and I just thought I'd share.